Device for destroying submarines.



s. I. PRESCOTT.

DEVICE FOR DESTROYING SUBMARINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 25' I911.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Lear-Ma.-

T0 dll 5137mm iziinay concern I j I E Pm m: a citizen of theUnited States, residing at s YD i i-E inn-s olo rarin- E w Y o n35, r ff.

'Be i known that. 'I, SYDNEY N ew York,- county of New jYoi k, and-State -specincationot Letters-Patent,

p AppHcatibn area ma 25,- 19171;] ser al 170,920;

"'eiently open to "permit a submarine to pass rpart Waybut not all-the way therethrough.

In .the best constructions also, the net has flexible Wire laterals, more flexible verticals,

or New York,jhave.,- invented a new and useful Improvement in; Devices .;for I Destroying i 'Submarin'esg'of, which" the: following is a specification.-

Th s -in'vention" relates to jai-devifce'ifor that when. they "..'eom e within its range of 3 action, bombs;which' are normally supported s :b

andkone or. morebrails by means of which 'it'may bereadi'ly adjusted for use at any depthof water within the range of submerat or 1 "about the; surface of I the awatfenf are.

' specifically a e f y meqh 'n i m bp r by 5 h ir submarines themselves. and permitted 1' to drop =through-.- -the water, toj'lsaid sub; 20 marines. A. iurther object Ef'isj the 110-, duction offa, device "off the generali c far-f;

.,; sionjof'a submarine: In; the best constructiring-also, the bofn'bs' are normally supported -.stroying submarines, andfit has foriitsjmainr object the production of adevijce capablelof being positioned. in: theipath of mbvenient of. one; "or more submari e and 'soi' arranged within the buoyant member, prefergably in; wells extending: vertically through saidimemben' so that they may be-readily lloaded'in'to' position' and carried with per- =-fect saffety+ except tofa submarine.- In the season-sermon .;a1so,;,:a j trip mechanism Qi. utilizedfertile-purpose of releasing the bombs this trip mechanism, being operative *only' when a submarine is enmeshed in the j'netland under .th'ebom bs. In the bestzcon acter above indicated-which :sha'll; be: opera5 'connected by means ofthe'brails which also just lof. the inyenti'on'fis the production. of a device; capable of being-reloaded" or repaired without being jvwithdra wn from its station. With-the'se and-other object's"- not specifically mentioned in- View, the invention consists in certain constructions whichiwill be hereinafterj any described and then appended.

set forth infthe claims hereuntd- In .the accompanying .drawiilgs form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate. the

same or like parts-,- Figure 1 is a side elevation of. a. device constructed in accordance w1th the invention. Fig. 2 1s anend elevation of the device shown in-Fig. 1. Fig.

is a View similar-toFig. 2, but illustrating an enlarged scale-- In carrying the [invention into ported. by the buoyant member, "and-means connected'with the net; and bombs whereby V the operation of the'device. And Figs. .4 and e 5 are respectively cross-sectional views taken on the lines 4, and'5 in Fig. l, but. shown on an abnormal downward pull set up by. a Y

submarine enmeshed in the net releases the.

bombs to drop upon said submarine. In the best constructions, the buoyant members and the meshes of the pendent net are sufli- *the buoyant members may be used.

are'elongated and carry a number of bombs;

chain: and the nets of adjacent units are serve the purpose ofgreefing the nets." .In the. best constructionsfalso, the unlts are connected in; such 'manner that the device as a whole may lie spread by two towboats to' completelybar the passage of submarines in either direction at any "desired location. The device selected to illustrate the inven- The invention scribed; V I

uReferring to the drawings, the device selected to. illustrate the invention shows a *series' of units coupled together one behind the other by means of chains 7. Any means of. securing these chains 'to the buoyant I 'ineinbers'fimmay be employed. It is preefiect', there is provided a buoyant member, a net' pendent therefrom, bombs normally sup-f event of the destruction of one of the units, it may be readily cut-out and the two adjacent buoyant members coupled together.

For this purpose a log boom chain having a toggle at each end engaging ring boltsrpn 1e units are all alike and a description of one will therefore answer for-a description of all. The buoyant member inlay be coIi- '75 iz'structio'ns'al'so, a series of units are coupled tog'ether-=byj'a,flexible connection, such as a vtion is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of' the same.

therefore is not to be restricted to the pre- I cise detailsfof the structure shown and destructedl of wood or, ether material itself,

buoyant; or if preferred, it may be constructed of metal in a manner wellknown and needing no description. As shown, the buoyant member 6 is constructed of metal and is provided with an elongated Well 8 covered by a hatch cover 9 of any approved construction. Extending vert cally through the member 6 from-the bottom of the Well 8 to the bottom of the member itself, are. two pipes 10 and 11;. and ineach of these pipes is mounted a rod-12, the lower end of whichterminates'in an eye "13. The pura pose of these rods will be hereinafter described. There is further provided three vertical wells 14; extending from the bottom of the elongated well 8 to the bottom of the member 6. These .wells 14 are for the purs pose of housing bombs 15. Each. of the V bombs 15is supported Withinits well 14 bymeans of a pair of pawls 16 secured upon a pairof longitudinal shafts 17 lo.-

' cated within the main well 8. The pawls 16 engage a flange 18,formed on the upper or rear end "of the bomb 15. This Hangel8 carries an e-yebolt 19, by means of which suitable devices'including a hook may be utilized for the purpose of lowering the bomb into a well or hoisting it. therefrom. The eyebolt 19 may, however, be omitted and tongs adapted to'engage the bomb flange 18 usedinstea'd for loading and unloading purposes. The shafts 17 are provided with arms 20 -connected by means of a tension spring-indicated at 21. This tension spring normally operates to hold the pawls 16 in;

.' engagement with the .fiange 18 of. the bomb.

Theshaft 1'7"also carries a pa r of camarms'22 in the wake-of each rod 12. Each rod 12 carries at its upper end a cam head 23, and theconstruction of the cam arms 22 and the cam head 23 is such that a downward movement of either of the rods 12 Wlll" rock the shafts '17 and release the bombs,

l'downwar'd pull is set up by a submarine 31% it being. understood that the'shafts 17 extend alongthe mainwell 8 and that a pair-of. bomb-retainingpaWls-16 is located in'the' wake of each bomb well 14. In order that a the bombs will not be released by any nor-f mal'downwardpull on the rods 12, each of said'rod-s12 is fitted with a' coiled compression'ispring 245-bearing against the bottom.

of the well 8 'andthe cam ,head 23. I This spring is powerful enough toiresist downward pull of the rods-12 at all'tlmes and underiallconditions except when an abnor} ving across the path'in' which the device lies. i

cause them to ,sink, and each is provided with an eye 28 turned in at each of its ends. The purpose of these eyes will be presently explained. Thenumber of these laterals is determined, first by'the depth of a submarine, the laterals'being so spaced that a submarine may enter the space between any two adjacent laterals, but cannot pass through; and second, by I net as'a whole, which is designed to be sulficientto block-the path of a submarine at any depth to which it can be submerged without. being endangered by water pressure. The laterals are held in proper spaced relation by means of verticals 29, these ver- I ticals being preferably of more flexible material than thelaterals, such for instance as the depth of the hemprope, the verticals being secured to the laterals-at crossing points by ,seizings,

clove hitches, or other'wel'l known fastenmg means. The upper ends of the verticals nearest.the-ends of the buoyant member 6 are secured to eyebolts 30 carried by said member. The upper-ends of the. intermed ateverticals are secured to-the eyes 13 of the rods 12.. The net thus formed is of very open me'sh,,so that a submarine can pass through any one of the meshes a considerable distance before it begins to pull down on' the rods 12 to -release the bombs.

For the purpose-of connecting adjacent unit nets and; forthe' further purpose of -reefing the net as a whole, there are provided a series of rope brails 31, one for each unit.. Each brail is bentjin to the forward eye 'of the lowermostdateral of its unit and rove upward through the adjacent eyes of the laterals of adjacent units, "as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Its upper end is belayed to a suitable cleat on thedeck of the buoyantmember of its unit. 'When the net is extended to lts full depth, this brail merely serves to connect the ends of the laterals of adjacent units." When, however, it is desired to reef the net to. use it in shoaler is brought up water, vall of, the brails are hauled in until the lateral'27, for instance,

against the lateral 26, .or both are brought up against the lateral 25, if-necessary.

he-operatlon ofthe device is as follows: The buoyant members 6 may be connected w th'the laterals all brailed close up under t the 4 laterals and verticals -may"""be stopped along the; decks of the members.

may also be loaded inthe wells 14; and if members. So arranged,- the device as, a whole may be towed-toits station and when together by means-of the chains 7, in port,

e bottom of said members. If preferred, v

The bombs such station is reached, the brailsare slacked. I

[away until the desired depth of: net is reached. The device. is then ready for use and may be 'used stretched between 'tw0-tow-.

, ant member to some extent.

boats; -or separate devices maybe towed slowly each by one towboat'; or both ends of, the device as a whole may be anchored. Whenever a submarine pokes its bow into any one of the meshes of' the net, it will push the net to one side and careen the buoy- As it moves forward, it" exerts a downward p'ull upon one or more of the verticals 29 connected with the rods 12'. This downward pull results in a downward movement of the cam head 23, which in turn forces the cam arms 22 apart and rocks the shafts 17. The'rock ing shafts in turn throw outnthe pawls 16 and release the bombs in the several wells. It may be here remarked that the number of verticals and the'number of bombs car ried by each buoyant member is determined by the beam of the smaller submarines it is designed to destroy. It is the purpose to position the bombs in such manner that no -matter, where a submarine strikes the net,

i :one and probably two falling bombs" will strike and destroy it. By an inspection of Fig. 3, it W111 be readily understood that the action of a. submarine in pushing the net to one'side, leaves theway clear for the bombs to fall to the submarine without striking the net, the path of a falling bomb being indic'ated'by the dotted line in that figure.

It will be remembered that the meshes of the 1 marine under the buoyant'member when the bombs are released. It is probable that a net are open sufiicient'ly to permit a subvmarine to pass part way but not all the way therethrough' The purpose. of this is to bring the wide midship section of the subbomb or two exploding against the submarine will not only destroy the submarine, 40f J buoyant member of one or more units of the but will destroy the net-and possibly the device. In such event, the /tender onstation willlrun alongside the break, out out the damaged -or destroyed units, and couple totact. If, howeyer, the units escape-injury gether the two nearest units. remaining inand the I damaged submarine sinks away therefrom, the tender will come alongside and reload the bomb wells of thebuoyant member from .which bombs have been v dropped. Obviously, the tender may carry a supply of bombs if no spare ones are carit 'ried in the buoyant members themselves.

When the device is ordered ofi station for any reason and back to port, the tender merely brails up the net and the device may then be towed into shoal water and the bombs unloaded there.

Whatis claimed is:

1. -A device for destroying submarines comprising a buoyant membeig'a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, and means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by .a submarine en-' meshed in the net releases the bombs to .drop.

upon said submarine.

2. A device for destroying submarines comprising an elongated buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, and means connectedwith the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine.

3-. A device for destroying submarines comprising a. buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom the meshes of which are sufficiently open to permit a submarine to pass part way but notall the way therethrough, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, and means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon, said submarine. 7

t. A device for destroying submarines comprising a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom and having flexible wire laterals and more flexible verticals, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, and

means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine.

5. A device for destroying submarines comprising a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom and having flexible wire laterals. provided with an eye in each end and also having more flexible verticals secured to the laterals at regular intervals to form rectangular meshes sufliciently open to permit a submarine to pass part way but not all the way therethrough, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, and

means, connected with the net and bombs 7 marine.

7. A device for destroying submarines comprising a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by and within the buoyant member, and means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by 'a sub; marine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine.

8. A device for destroying submarines comprising a buoyant member, a net pendent therefirom, bombs normally supported in- Wells extending vertically through the buoyant member, and means cbnnected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward, pull set up by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop uponsaid submarine.

9. A device for destroying submarines comprising a vbuoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, and a trip mechanism connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull 'set up by asubmarine enmeshed in the netreleases the bombs to drop upon said submarine.

10. A device for' destroying submarines comprising a. series of units coupled together each unit including a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull setup by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine, and

" means for coupling the unit nets.

11. A device for destroying submarines comprising a series, of units flexibly coupled together each unit including a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine, and meansfor coupling the unit nets. 12. A device for destroying submarines comprising a series of units connected by chains each unit including a buoyant mem-- ber, a net pendent therefrom, bombs nor- 40 mally supported by the buoyant member, means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set by a submarine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine, and means for coupling the unit nets.

1 3..A device for destroying submarines comprisinga series of units coupled together each unit including a buoyant member, a net pendent there-from, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a submeans for reefing the nets for use in shoal water.

14. A device for destroying sub-marines comprising a series of units coupled together each unit including a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, means connectedwith the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a sub-- marine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop upon, said submarine, and

-marine enmeshed in the net releases the bombs to drop 'upon said submarine, and

brails for reefing the nets for use in shoal water. v

15. A' device for destroying submarines comprising a series of units coupled together each unit including a buoyant member, a net pendent therefrom, bombs normally supported by the buoyant member, means connected with the net and bombs whereby an bombs normally supported by the buoyant v member, means connected with the net and bombs whereby an abnormal downward pull set up by a submarine enmeshed in'the net releases the bombs to drop upon said submarine, and. brails bent to the lowermost lateral eyes and rove up through the other adjacent lateral eyes to the buoyant members.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specificatio 4 SYDNEY I. PRESCOTT; 

